Ranking the NFL’s most-penalized players since 2021

Jawaan Taylor stands alone: The new Falcon leads the pack with 74 fouls since 2021, with holds and illegal formations being problematic.

Both Bills tackles have been flagged a lot: Although Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown are a strong duo, the pair both rank in the top seven for cumulative penalties.

L'Jarius Sneed has been harmed by the whistle: The lone defensive player on this list has committed a high number of defensive pass interference and holding fouls.

From generating splash plays to converting on tackle attempts and much more, there are numerous ways to become a consistently impactful NFL player. However, one aspect that can easily get overlooked is simply avoiding penalties.

When a player’s jersey number gets read aloud by an official after a flag is thrown, it attracts the wrong kind of spotlight from both fans and coaches. On top of that, such calls almost always hinder either an offensive or defensive drive by undoing chunk gains and making a unit behind schedule by literally moving the yard markers back. Meanwhile, the players that can master their crafts without getting whistled gain an innate advantage.

Using PFF charting, we can identify which players have been responsible for the most flags in any duration since 2006. Using the last five seasons as a barometer gives us a good window into which names have been read the most by referees. Note that this list is predicated on the total number of penalties generated, no matter if they were accepted or declined.

1. T Jawaan Taylor, Atlanta Falcons

Taylor coming in at No. 1 on this list isn’t really a shocker. His tenure in Kansas City was well-documented — and often included yellow markers.

Over three years with the Chiefs and two with the Jaguars prior, Taylor racked up a league-leading 74 penalties, the most by a wide margin. He was especially a flag magnet protecting Patrick Mahomes, with 56 of those calls coming from 2023-25 alone.

A key problem for Taylor has been illegal formation assessments, with his 10 in this span the second-most to only Braden Smith. Beyond that, Taylor was penalized for a league-high 35 holds.

After signing with the Falcons this offseason, Taylor is now expected to start at right tackle to replace the retiring Kaleb McGary. Intriguingly, his acquisition creates a dichotomy between the NFL’s most-flagged player and a team that’s incurred among the fewest penalties.

2. T Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills

Dawkins has proven to be a steadily good tackle in Buffalo, with his 84.3 overall PFF grade tying for 15^th among qualifiers since 2021. However, his wart has been being overpenalized.

Dawkins has posted 56 penalties in the past half-decade while blocking Josh Allen’s blindside. Twenty five of those have been holds, while 22 are comprised in false starts. Both rank among the top five in each category.

Ultimately, Dawkins has been whistled at least nine times in each of the past five seasons. The last two campaigns have been particularly rough in this department, with Dawkins collecting 25 penalties. If it’s any consolation, Dawkins’ 5,824 snaps are the most among all tackles over the past five years, making his penalty rate more palatable.

3. T Laremy Tunsil, Washington Commanders

Tunsil has turned into one of the premier tackles in the sport, accruing five Pro Bowl nominations along the way. Yet even he hasn’t been immune to flags, compiling 49 since 2021.

Tunsil’s biggest flaw has been false starts, as his 32 in the last five years lead the NFL. On the flip side, he’s been responsible for only 12 holds. Tunsil only setting his offenses back five yards — and not erasing a play after it’s already occurred — are easier to stomach than holds, contributing to his 90.5 overall PFF grade since 2021.

Encouragingly, Tunsil was penalized only eight times across 802 snaps in his first year with Washington, when he played at an All-Pro level with an 84.7 overall mark. It’s also worth nothing that he was called just once in 2021 while playing only 262 snaps due to injury. The longtime Texan would theoretically be much closer to the top if this sample excluded the first year.

4. G Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys

Similar to the prior two names on this list, Smith is an esteemed guard, sporting the ninth-best overall PFF grade in this half-decade. But penalties are a department of his game that can be corrected.

Smith’s 46 penalties lead all guards during this span, and the staggering part is that they’ve come within just his first four years in the NFL. Moving from tackle to guard hasn’t really alleviated such concerns either, with Smith amassing 33 calls since 2023. Since 2021, his 29 holds trail only Taylor.

5. T Ikem Ekwonu, Carolina Panthers

Akin to Smith, Ekwonu has been a flag mainstay despite suiting up in only four pro seasons. The former sixth overall pick has stockpiled 45 calls since 2022 alone, with 37 of them being false starts or holds. Ekwonu has also been penalized for miscellaneous violations, including a facemask, ineligible man downfield, illegal blindside block and illegal use of hands.

Although Ekwonu suffered a torn patellar tendon only eight snaps into the team’s wild-card loss vs. the Rams last year, he displayed growth in terms of penalties. Playing 950 snaps, Ekwonu was called just eight times, and three were either declined or offset. That progress bodes better in what figures to be an injury-shortened contract season in 2026.

6. T Garett Bolles, Denver Broncos

Bolles joins the list of decorated tackles on this list, which suggests that even the game’s best offensive linemen may not be able to avoid committing fouls. Bolles’ 45 penalties tie Ekwonu, with 33 of them being via either false start or hold. Bolles has also been responsible for seven illegal formation calls.

Looking under the hood a layer deeper paints a rosier picture for Bolles. The 2025 All-Pro has been flagged eight or fewer times in four of the last five seasons. However, his 2024 campaign secured his spot on this list with 16 penalties. Ultimately, Bolles and other linemen reflect that not surrendering pressure is far more important than being whistled, which seems like a near-inevitability while playing a high volume of snaps.

T-7. T Spencer Brown, Buffalo Bills

The Bills have been one of the most-penalized teams altogether since 2021, and seeing both Dawkins and Brown on this list helps explain that. Brown has been called for an infraction 44 total times, placing in the top 16 in both holds and false starts.

Despite the fact that Brown was penalized just four times last season, it didn’t translate into his best year yet with a 61.7 PFF pass-blocking grade. By comparison, Brown was flagged a whopping 17 times the prior year but allowed only 22 pressures — 19 fewer than his 2025 campaign.

T-7. CB L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City Chiefs

The lone defensive player to make this list, Sneed has been wont to attract calls even in his top seasons. The Chief and Titan has been the most culpable in defensive pass interference, ranking fourth with 17 such calls since 2021. Sneed’s 11 defensive holds also tie for fourth-most.

Over the last two years, Sneed has seen his stock plummet, in part by playing just 662 defensive snaps with Tennessee. Part of the reason for that failure was the two-time Super Bowl champion still being flagged 10 times in that span. Now back in Kansas City on a prove-it contract, the Chiefs will hope to resurrect the peak version of Sneed — which still saw 18 penalties during the 2023 season, when he finished with a 72.5 overall PFF grade.

T-7. T Cam Robinson

Once considered a stable tackle option, Robinson has bounced between teams over the last two seasons. A big part of his roster turnover has been an inability to avoid the whistle, with Robinson being flagged 27 times since 2024 alone.

Robinson has largely avoided a high holding rate, but 19 false starts have done him in. Also, his eight illegal formation calls are the third-most in that span. The former Jaguar, Viking and Brown remains unsigned going into the 2026 season and will likely serve as depth or a fill-in starter at this juncture.

T-10. G John Simpson, Baltimore Ravens

Simpson returned to Baltimore on a three-year, $30 million contract in an effort to ameliorate the Ravens’ interior offensive line. That payday clearly wasn’t affected by his high penalty rate.

Since 2021, Simpson has been penalized 43 total times. Although only seven of those were false starts, his 26 holds are the fourth-most. Simpson has also let his emotions get the best of him, committing a league-high six offensive unnecessary roughness infractions.

Even years have been kinder to Simpson: He was penalized only twice in 2022 with the Raiders and seven times in 2024 with the Jets. That’s much better than the 11, 13 and 10 respective fouls in 2021, 2023 and 2025. Perhaps that will play in the Ravens’ favor in 2026.

T-10. G Landon Dickerson, Philadelphia Eagles

Dickerson has rounded into a solid guard after being a second-round pick, owning the 12^th-best overall PFF grade among qualifiers since his debut in 2021. The flip-side of that equation has been a lofty penalty total, tying Simpson’s 43.

Dickerson’s culprits haven’t necessarily been the conventional fouls for offensive linemen. Although he’s combined for 32 false starts and holds, the other categories have been just as much of a fault. Indeed, Dickerson’s three offensive offsides are the most of any player in this window — which may be explained by the Tush Push — and his seven ineligible man downfield calls tie for the second-highest total.

Although Dickerson saw a career-low 905 snaps during an injury saddled 2025 campaign, he was flagged a minimal five times. If he can maintain that trend going into 2026 on a unit no longer under Jeff Stoutland’s tutelage, it should help the Eagles’ offense regain its footing.